CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22: FAREWELL TO MY EX-HUSBAND

The call ended. Zinnia slammed on the brakes and leaned over the steering wheel, panting heavily.

This was clearly the result I’d been hoping for, yet I feel neither relieved nor joyful right now.

She suddenly lifted her head, forcing back the tears, and only then noticed the small camera still hanging around her neck.

It was the gift from Jenson. She hadn’t taken anything else when she came downstairs, but she had put the camera on.

She had happily wanted to wake him up and ask how he had managed to contact Cash, but who knew...

Zinnia ripped the camera off, yanked open the car door, and tossed it into a roadside trash can.

She got back in the car and drove away.

However, she hadn’t gone far before she stopped abruptly again. In the end, she reversed the car and retrieved the camera.

The wretched man is the one at fault. Why should my idol take the blame for him? That scoundrel doesn’t deserve it!

「Sovereign Court.」

The ambulance arrived quickly. Crystal was loaded onto a stretcher, and the vehicle sped away, its sirens wailing.

On the mountain road, a Bentley was parked in a secluded spot. Watching the ambulance disappear into the distance, Mandy Lowe, in the back seat, wore a grim expression.

"How did this happen!?"

"If it doesn’t work this time, I’ll arrange another. Zinnia doesn’t have much talent, but she has a proud temperament and is easily provoked. We don’t need to rush." The person beside her patted her hand soothingly.

Meanwhile, after seeing Crystal off, Timothy Cohen returned to the villa. His legs felt weak as he went upstairs.

He had made a huge mistake at work today. He’d failed to guard the door, letting Crystal sneak in, and now he had no idea what punishment awaited him.

Timothy wanted to punch himself. Why couldn’t he have resisted just one more hour of sleep?

His phone rang. Timothy answered it, and his expression turned grave after listening for a few moments.

"Alright, I understand the situation. I’ll report to the CEO immediately."

He hurried upstairs. As he headed for the study, he saw the bedroom door was wide open, and cleaning staff were moving out the sofa and carpet.

Timothy sidestepped them and went to the study door. He knocked twice before pushing it open.

Jenson stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. The heavy night outside silhouetted his tall frame, making him look like a mountain—imposing, silent, and solitary. The only movement was the flickering red glow at his fingertips.

The ashtray beside him was already overflowing with several cigarette butts. Timothy’s eyelids twitched violently; he had a feeling he was doomed.

He quickly spoke first, "CEO, there’s a tricky situation with the project in F Country. I request to go over immediately to atone for my mistake. Please give me a chance."

「The next day.」

The weather was clear and refreshing.

Zinnia got up early—or more accurately, she hadn’t slept at all.

She attributed her insomnia to excitement. She was about to get divorced, to be free, to be single again. She was just so happy and thrilled.

Seeing her pale and haggard reflection in the mirror, Zinnia frustratedly tousled her messy hair.

"Zinnia, beauty comes so easily to you, yet you don’t cherish it? This won’t do, not at all!" she muttered.

She quickly washed her face and hair, applied a stunning, sophisticated makeup look, and chose a beautiful outfit before leaving her bedroom.

Yara Fairchild was practicing her martial arts in the living room. When she turned and saw Zinnia, she let out a whistle.

"Absolutely gorgeous! Are you trying to become a cold-hearted, loveless black widow?"

Zinnia wore a black, form-fitting dress with a black leather jacket and matching black ankle boots. With a bouquet of chrysanthemums, she could have been on her way to a funeral. Her flaming red lips perfectly completed the look, projecting an aura of fierce beauty.

I’m bidding farewell to my ex-husband. From now on, I hope he’s as good as dead. Today really is the funeral for my marriage. How fitting.

Zinnia grabbed her bag by the door. She had already prepared all the documents last night. Yara Fairchild walked over.

"Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?"

Zinnia pinched her cheek. "It’s just a divorce. It’s not that serious."

It was only eight o’clock when she arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Zinnia got in line early, but by nine o’clock, there was still no sign of Jenson.

Zinnia couldn’t help but recall the day they registered their marriage. She had assumed Jenson was being forced to marry her and wouldn’t arrive early. She’d also wanted to dress up nicely to look good in the photos, so she’d dawdled until after ten o’clock.

Unexpectedly, Jenson had been waiting for a long time. Timothy said that if she hadn’t been late, she and Jenson could have been the first couple to get their certificate that day.

Zinnia had felt both regretful and delighted, thinking that perhaps Jenson wasn’t entirely without feelings for her.

Unfortunately, after leaving the bureau, Jenson had left the country without a moment’s delay, making her realize how delusional she had been.

Perhaps Jenson was getting back at her for being late to their marriage registration. Thinking this, Zinnia waited patiently.

But she waited until closing time, and Jenson still hadn’t shown up. Infuriatingly, he hadn’t even called.

Zinnia was so mad she could have exploded. She tried calling the wretched man, but the call didn’t go through. Then she called Timothy, but his phone went unanswered.

On the way back, Zinnia saw a video someone had posted in the Stellar Group chat.

An accident had occurred at the land reclamation project, a joint venture between Stellar Group and F Country. Two massive bulldozers had fallen into the deep sea, and the scene was chaotic.

Jenson must have rushed there overnight. In the video, the sea wind whipped at his trench coat as he moved through the bustling crowd, his expression grim and severe.

Zinnia sighed.

Who knows when he’ll be back. The divorce definitely won’t happen today.

Just then, she received a WeChat message from Yara Fairchild.

[Maiden Fairchild: Don’t come back yet.]

Half an hour later, Zinnia received another message from Yara and rushed back. Pushing the door open, she asked urgently, "What happened?"

"People from the Forrest Group came looking for you. Here, look." Yara Fairchild lifted her chin, indicating a business card and several printed contracts on the coffee table.

It was still about arranging the music piece for Crystal Sutton. Zinnia had used Yara Fairchild’s information for her online profile.

Zinnia wasn’t surprised they had found her. "Did they give you a hard time?"

Yara shrugged. "It was nothing more than a mix of threats and enticements. But I refuse to believe it. If I don’t do as they say, can they really get me expelled from school and ruin my future? The Forrest Family didn’t get their start as gangsters, did they?"

Zinnia’s expression grew solemn. The Forrest Family may not have a background in organized crime, but they had their methods. If they really wanted to ruin someone, crushing small figures like them wouldn’t cause a single ripple.

She only regretted not having broken Crystal Sutton’s hand yesterday so she could never play the violin again and steal someone else’s music.

"If she wants to play it, then let her," Zinnia said, tossing the contracts back onto the table.

Yara was taken aback and said angrily, "Why should we let her play it? Let’s go head-to-head with her! Who’s afraid?"

Zinnia actually laughed. "Reply to them. The copyrights aren’t for sale, but you can authorize Crystal Sutton to perform it once. The fee is two million."

She wanted to see what a mess Crystal Sutton would make of it.

Yara’s eyes widened. "PFFT! HAHAHA! Two million for one performance? She’s getting a real bargain, that Sutton the Bitch! I’ll reply right away."

After sending the email, she held out her hand to Zinnia.

"Where’s the divorce certificate? Hurry up and show me! We can post it on social media and solicit marriage proposals while we’re at it!"

Zinnia slumped onto the sofa. "It didn’t happen. Jenson went abroad."

Yara held back for a long moment but finally couldn’t stop herself from cursing.

"I knew that wretched man wouldn’t just quietly divorce like a decent human being! He’s off on a business trip paving the way for his mistress while dragging his feet on the divorce. You could make a bulletproof vest from his thick skin, and it would probably stop an atomic bomb! Even dogs aren’t that shameless!"

*

When Crystal Sutton heard that the one-time performance rights for the piece cost two million, she sneered.

"’A poor composer trying to commit daylight robbery! Still, at least he knows his place.’"

After all, she wasn’t the one paying the two million. She only cared about the result, so she was in a decent mood.

Rose Lowell chuckled. "He probably got greedy when Young Master Forrest’s people contacted him. These so-called ’artists’ act all high and mighty, but throw some money at them and their backs bend faster than anyone else’s. Two million for the right to use a piece once, if hyped up a bit, will be seen as Young Master Forrest’s doting affection for you. Wouldn’t that make the fans ship you two like crazy?"

Crystal Sutton’s eyes lit up. "Then make sure you get someone to write good press about it. And while you’re at it, let everyone know just how greedy that composer, Adverse, is."

Rose was an expert at tearing one person down to build another up. She nodded. "Understood. I’ll get the violin so you can practice. It’s been a while."

Since returning to the country, Crystal Sutton hadn’t touched her violin. Her heart was no longer in playing.

Rose Lowell handed her the instrument. Crystal reluctantly brought it to her shoulder, but the violin emitted a piercing, screeching sound. She threw the violin down, her face a mask of pain and irritation.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s all because of that bitch Zinnia Lawrence! My arm and hand hurt like hell. I’m not practicing anymore!"

The places where Zinnia had struck her were still red and swollen. Hatred crept across Crystal Sutton’s face.

She thought of how Mandy Lowe had recently met Zinnia. That evening, as Crystal secretly watched old videos of Zinnia’s childhood dance competitions, she became consumed by jealousy and hatred, her eyes filling with malice.

If only Zinnia’s legs were crippled!

...

Jenson Forrest vanished without a trace, only sending Zinnia a WeChat message two days later.

[Major project accident. I am abroad. Return date is uncertain.]

Annoyed, Zinnia immediately dragged his contact into her blacklist.

In the blink of an eye, a week of continuous autumn rain passed.

The weather in Veridia had turned completely cold.

When Zinnia left, she hadn’t taken any of the designer clothes in her closet. Those belonged to Mrs. Forrest, not her.

Yara used the weekend as an opportunity to drag Zinnia out shopping. Upon entering the mall, Yara linked arms with Zinnia and headed straight for a shoe store they frequented.

"You need to wear soft-soled flats from now on. Don’t wear any of your old ones. Let’s buy two more pairs today."

Zinnia nodded. "Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you."

She was trying on a pair of low-cut leather flats when Yara spotted another unique pair of shoes and ran to the other side of the display.

Zinnia stood up, wanting to walk a few steps to see if the shoes pinched. The floor seemed to have been freshly mopped, and there was a wet spot that hadn’t been dried properly.

Zinnia stepped on it. Her foot slipped, and she fell backward, hard.

"Zinnia!"

Yara saw it happen out of the corner of her eye, and it scared the life out of her.

Zinnia’s pregnant! A fall like that could make her lose the baby!